


Faces and Places

by CyberSearcher



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pure Fluff Too, Snake Jaguar needs more content 2020, Tags Are Hard, i blame discord, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23886529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberSearcher/pseuds/CyberSearcher
Summary: Cole, Kai & Jay have been friends for years and they’re all attached to a small karaoke bar they frequent between playing music at said bar, working a mechanics store and studying for engineering respectively.Then comes a biker gang that leaves a slightly sour taste in their mouths. Save for one particular individual.
Relationships: Cole/Kai/Jay Walker/Zane, Cole/Zane (Ninjago), Jay Walker/Zane, Kai/Zane (Ninjago), implied polyninja
Comments: 32
Kudos: 108





	1. Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> To Preface; everyone here is in the young 20’s range. I had way too much fun writing this.
> 
> And can I just say, Dramatic Irony is forever my greatest muse.

Cole didn’t question why he woke up this early. Or why he was wandering down the streets in the earliest hours of the dawn. He kicked a pebble and watched it hit a wall. He thought of calling one of the Smith siblings to pick him up or asking Jay to meet him after his lectures. 

Looking up from where the stone hit, Cole found himself standing in one of the nicer parts of town. It was one of those rare structures, where the muck and grime just didn’t stick. 

Out front was a small garden with new trees surrounded by rough carved blocks of stone for benches. Cole leaned against the trunk and mindlessly browsed through his phone. 

In the middle of humming, he heard the sound of pages flipping. He looked up and found someone exiting the building, their nose stuck in a book. They didn’t look up as they continued down the cobblestone pathways. 

Cole watched quietly as the stranger made their way to the same tree and sat at the edge. He still didn’t seem to notice him, even as the musician's son began to look him over. 

He was dressed in business casual clothes, with a pale pink beanie hiding most of his hair. He had pale skin and blue eyes rimmed with glasses, the warmth of the morning sun made him glow with a comforting aura. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He suddenly said, still not looking up. “I didn’t see you there.” 

Cole pretended not to jump. “O-oh, yea. Don’t worry ‘bout it.”

Silence stretched on after that. He returned to his scrolling, then was glad he had the forethought to plug in his headphones when his dad's caller ID came up. 

He re-typed it twice before finally sending the text. The young adult leaned his head back against the tree, eyes following the branches as they stretched into the sunlight. Little blossoms of new leaves were growing in. 

Beside him, the stranger set down his book and turned to him. “I sense you are anxious about something.” 

“That obvious?” Cole sighed. “I hope I didn’t disturb the ambiance.” 

“It is of no issue.” The pale young adult smiled. “To be truthful, I’ve read that book at least a dozen times.” 

“Must be one hell of a story.” 

“It’s about birds.” 

He said it so factually, Cole thought it was a joke. He let himself grin back before it quickly fell. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, you don’t seem to be here for the books. Are you alright?” 

Cole reached out and pinched his nose. “No. I mean, yes but also no. I don’t know if this’ll sound stupid, but is it bad I don’t feel as sad as my dad about loosing my mom? It happened when I was only five and I only remember her from pictures. Dad always talks about her like she was the best thing ever and I just... I just don’t feel as sad knowing she’s gone. Sometimes I wonder if it’d be better if - “ 

He cut himself off. The other young adult had quietly sat through the entire rambling with a thoughtful expression and finally spoke up. 

“I do not think there is any way to tell how someone will react to the loss of loved ones.” He said.

“Emotions are complex. You may still miss her and express it in a way even you may not recognize. I only hope both of you can come to terms with this in time.” 

Cole dragged a hand through his hair, pulling it out of its loose bun. “I can’t believe you’re actually giving me advice after I spilled my guts to you like that.” 

The man shrugged. “I don’t see any reason not to be helpful. But if you’re seeking something more practical, I would recommend a counselor.” 

“Yea, maybe I’ll ask him about that. Something more formal than Old Man Karaoke.” He mused. “Thanks.”

“I’m just glad I could help.” 

His smile lingered on the other for a few lingering seconds. Then the man pulled a phone from his pocket. “I’m sorry, but I need to go. My little brother called.” 

“Oh, yea. Got it.” Cole waved as the young adult gathered his books. “Nice meeting you.” 

He turned over his shoulder before he disappeared into the parking lot. “And I you. Goodbye.” 

Part of Cole berated himself for not asking for the guys phone number, or at least a name. Anyone who sat through a stranger telling them their life story seemed like good friend material. He spent a few lazy minutes just listening to the soft breeze in the trees before getting up and returning home. 

He did end up calling Jay and Kai, offering them discounts at the bar he’d play for. Tonight though - the rest of the week actually, if he’d read the sign right - there wasn’t a need for his songs. Cole watched from the barstools as workers set up floodlights and worked with a thick array of wires. 

“Hey man!” Kai waved from the entrance. Jay he could see was still looking at something outside. “So, you said drinks are on you?”

“Is that all I’m good for?” Cole mocked. 

The brunette just shoved at his shoulder, pulling up a stool next to him. “Shut up. But seriously, thanks for this. It’s been a day.”

Jay eventually wandered after the other, but he kept glancing back to the doorway outside. “Man, am I the only one that’s seeing the same motorcycles all around town?”

Cole didn’t, but he could swear he caught a glimpse of one near the library. “There are?” He asked.

“Yea, now that you mention it.” Kai stole a sip of Coles beer, then frowned when he found it was just ginger ale. “A couple guys came into the shop looking for custom parts. Wait, I think I see them.” 

All three of them turned to where the spiky haired young adult gestured. Surrounding one of the back tables was a group who were clearly associated with one another. They all wore variations of the same pallet of white, black and vibrant pink and blues. Cole blinked when he saw what looked like swords strapped to the backs of some of the members. 

They were rowdy too. Some had boots kicked up on the table, one burly man was carrying two people on his shoulders and a woman with violet tattoos was juggling daggers. The three flinched when it sounded like a body slammed against the ground and the rest of the group cheered.

“Who are these guys.” Jay hissed nervously. 

“How should I know?” Cole shrugged. 

“I think I saw a bumper sticker on one of their bikes.” Kai mused. “Sons of Garmadon?” 

That did sound familiar to the musician. An article dated a few years back, something about a crime boss. Nothing else after that. But judging by the shared anxious looks the other two had, it wasn’t a good sign. 

“Uh, so what about those lights huh?” Jay tried to change the topic. “Some sort of crazy rave happening?”

“Probably, Dareth only asks me to come in during the morning hours now.” Cole added. “Thinking of going?”

“Oh god no. I mean, unless one of you comes.” 

Kai shrugged and took another swallow from his cocktail. “Why not, maybe I’ll get Nya to bring her new girlfriend along. Just hope those guys don’t stick around for it.” 

Jay and Kai began a new conversation about mechanical things Cole couldn’t begin to understand. He watched the biker gang over his shoulders, keeping an eye on the swords slung over their backs and the knife thrower woman. She had another guy standing against the back wall while she outlined his body precariously with thrown blades. But he was just laughing like it was something normal. 

One of the gang stepped away from the main group. His outfit didn’t follow the patterns of the others; red and black with a crimson tinted visor on a bikers helmet. Cole couldn’t even make out their eyes. He stepped towards the washrooms, but was tripped as two of the workers lifted one of the cables. 

He couldn’t hear what happened next, but it wasn’t hard to read the body language. The person in red was shoved back, but they held their ground. Slowly, they were surrounded. Cole couldn’t look over the crowd to see what happened next. 

Then there was another heavy thud. The other bikers turned. 

“Mystery!”  
Suddenly someone vaulted over the table, ran across them, drew his sword and brought it down hard on the workers back. Cole didn’t think he’d believed it, it happened so fast. Some part of him registered striking white hair. The other bikers quickly followed his lead. 

Other patrons began to scream, Kai and Jay wiped towards the noise just in time to see a screwdriver fly in their direction and crash into the racks of bottles. Jay squeaked and curled under the stools, Kai quickly pulled Cole down with them. 

But even from the poor line of view, he could see the man with white hair holding up the first biker to be struck. He blocked strikes with his black sword with sharp and swift movements. Beside him, Kai had pulled Jay close to his side for comfort while he frantically dialled the authorities. 

Cole hoped Dareth had called them already, which made him realize he hadn’t seen the man behind the bar. Through the flurry of legs and swinging chairs, he caught sight of a white dress shirt and suspenders hunched behind an upturned table.

He looked back to Jay and Kai. “Stay here guys, I’ll be okay.” 

“What are you - wait!” 

He wasn’t sure who called for him, it fell on deaf ears either way as he dove into the rushing crowd. It was a fight just trying to stay out of brawling workers and bikers, but eventually Cole manages to slide behind the same table.

“Ronin where are you?!” Dareth muttered the unfamiliar name anxiously to himself. “Ah! Cole? What’re you doing here?”

They flinched as a bottle smashed against the opposite side of the table, sending flecks of bear over their heads. He grabbed his employer's sleeve. “Getting you out of here, c’mon!”

“Those guys are absolutely fired.” Dareth stated. 

Now most of the workers had poured out from the back, but the Sons of Garmadon were holding their own. As Cole pulled Dareth back to the bar, there was a cry from his left as he saw something large swing in their direction. He had just enough time to shove the bartender away. 

Something else swept him off his feet and as he hit the ground, Cole brought up his arms to prepare for the blow. Instead, after a tense heartbeat, cool leather fingers pulled him up from the ground. He blinked in a daze and it took a moment to realize what the biker was saying.

“Are you alright?” The other man said, voice barely audible due to the background screams and the facemask he wore. 

“Y-yea.” Cole stuttered. He saw white hair and saw the other biker in red leathers leaning against his side. “Shit, what about them?”

“Oh god, I hope he’ll be okay.” Bright eyes scanned the surroundings. “The police are coming, we need to get out of here but they blocked the entrance.”

“I can help.” Cole offered immediately. 

He took the others gloved hand and led them behind the stage, the biker calling out to the others to follow. Cole unlocked the doors with the key Dareth lent him, then brought them out through the fire escape and into the back alleys.

Now he could see the same black sword in the biker's free hand. Cole wondered why he didn’t remove the sheath. Until he saw past the black paint and polished finish and caught sight of the wood grain underneath. 

Cole leaned against the dirty bricks. Now he finally got a good look at the stranger he’d helped. He was thin, but taller than himself. The colourful leather vest he wore exposed his well-built arms and Cole caught a glimpse at a scar peeking out of his right shoulder. 

His hair was a shockingly pale blonde, bleached white in the sun. The mask he wore had a printed design that looked like a silver faceplate with large fangs. But it did a poor job at hiding the frantic worry as he looked over the other biker.

Cole realized he was the same person who vaulted over those half dozen tables

“Mystery.” He said. “Where did he get you? Don’t speak, just point.” 

‘Mystery’ raised an arm to point to his stomach. Cole cringed in sympathy. Out from the street, he could hear the loud revving of motorcycles. The white-haired man turned back up to Cole. The musician swallowed hard, he made no movement towards him but he found himself stepping back against the wall. 

His eyes were so bright, shining with sincerity. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“N-no problem.” Cole stuttered. “Maybe I’ll see you again, if you ever come back. I mean, I hope you do. I’m Cole by the way.” 

He was rambling again. He could see the fabric shift, his eyes curling up only proving he was probably smirking at him. “Snake. Snake Jaguar.” 

He would’ve laughed if his throat wasn’t so dry. 

“Maybe I will stop by again.” Snake said casually, this time taking a half step towards him. “I’ll thank you properly next time.”

“Properly?’ Cole echoed. 

He didn’t have time to ask. The paler man swiftly pulled down his mask, grabbed his sweater and kissed him. He felt cool to the touch, soft too. Cole closed his eyes as he found the courage to move against him.

But the biker quickly let go and his face was hidden once again. The rest of the bikers still in the building rushed out the back door, hopping onto the line of bikes that now sat on the street. Snake carried Mystery onto a motorcycle with a sidecar attached. 

As he mounted, Cole caught a mischievous wink, then he was riding away with the rest of the Sons. It was then Cole realized one of his hands hovered just over his lips. He shook himself out of the trance the biker put on him and returned to the bar.

It was - presumably - a mess. One table had been broken, several chairs were splinters and glass shards littered the ground. Kai and Jay were helping Dareth to gather the unsalvageable scraps into a garbage bag, but they dropped it when they saw him. 

“You stupid clod of dirt!” Jay yelled. “What were you thinking? Did you see the size of that guy! He was huge, he could’ve taken your head off like a guillotine. Just, woosh, just like that!” 

“I’m with lightning mouth.” Kai added, pulling him down for a rouch noogie. “ What the hell dude.”

“Look, no way was I gonna leave Dareth in the middle of that thing.” Cole explained, pushing himself free from under the shorter man's elbow. “Sorry I worried you guys.”

Dareth wiped down the bar with a rag, looking over the mess on the floor with a sigh. “You’re definitely getting a raise, kid. Thanks for the save. I’d be a Dareth-smoothie if you didn’t grab me.” 

He was embarrassed by all the praise, but accepted it quietly and helped the others in cleaning up the floor. Cole considered asking Dareth about the bikers, hoping to learn more about Snake Jaguar. But he figured the less said about that, the better. 

He could still see the way he rushed across the room like a force of nature. If Jay wasn’t exaggerating too much, Snake must’ve blocked the hit that would’ve struck himself. Cole had to admit he was impressed. 

His personality too, made him curious. He was certainly protective, but also incredibly bold with a dash of playful mischief. Cole would be lying if he said he wasn’t attracted.


	2. Passerby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET ME SAY IT NOW
> 
> THIS MAY BE THE GAYEST THING I’VE WRITEN
> 
> AND IT 
> 
> IS FOR L E G O S.

Kai blinked, then groaned and rolled over as sunlight streamed through the cracks in the blinds. Someone threw a pillow into his face and he jerked up to toss it back. He squinted, head still fuzzy from sleep, but he could hear Nya laughing. 

“Busy night?” She smirked. “It’s almost eleven.” 

That made him straighten up. “Shit, seriously? I’m so sorry sis.” 

Nya’s smirk grew wider. “Nah, I’m just messin’ with you. It’s only about nine. The shop hasn’t been too noisy either. You were at that big fight last night anyways, you should get some extra rest.” 

Kai grabbed the extra pillow he kept and smashed it over his face. “Then why’d you wake me up?” 

“Never said I’d make it easy.” She said. “But really, take it easy for now. I’ll be tinkering for a bit.” 

The long, muffled yawn into his pillow was his only response. Even with the excuse to sleep in, Kai pulled himself off his comfy blanket nest and shuffled over to find some clothes. Thankfully he could’ve navigated the small apartment blindfolded and deaf. 

Quickly showering and styling his hair, Kai jumped down the steps two at a time while pulling a half-buttoned red polo over his head. He could hear the constant whining of the machines in the back, Nya already running them through their paces. 

He went through all the tools they had in stock and made note of what parts he’d have to make more of. Through the shopfront, Kai couldn’t see too many people walking around. If he leaned in, he could still see the police tape surrounding Dareths’ bar. 

When Cole disappeared from their sight the night before, he and Jay thought he’d been kidnapped. Even after he returned, he didn’t say much about what happened but looked unharmed if a little flustered. He made sure to keep an eye out for anymore of the motorcycles that came in. 

While he fiddled with some controls on one of the 3-D printers, he heard the doorbell ring. Kai looked up and grinned at the sight. The lilac hoodie and washed out grey jeans the man wore matched well with his lighter skin tone. He was handsome too, smooth cheekbones and wide blue eyes that kept flitting between all the tools with a bright curiosity. 

Kai leaned against the counter. “Damn, and I thought I was hot stuff.” 

The man looked up, confused until he realized he was the only one present. He didn’t give any reaction at his comment either. “Oh. Hello. You’re Mr. Smith I presume?”

He figured he just ignored his pickup line. He didn’t mind it, he enjoyed the challenge. 

“Sure. But you can just call me Kai, snow pea.” He winked, part of him amused with how formal the stranger insisted on being. “And you?

“I was wondering if I could ask about some custom parts. It’s for a personal project of mine.” He fished around his pockets before pulling out his phone and holding it forward. Kai tilted his head, unsure if the other man caught his last statement.

Leaning in further, he read over the simple diagram. He made an impressive sound as he looked back up to the other. “I gotta say, I didn’t expect you to be cute and smart.” 

The man just blinked at him with a deer-in-headlights expression. “Thank you” He said softly. 

Kai resisted the urge to give him a weird look. “So, you said you needed this for a project? Maybe if I got your number, send me those sketches, I’d be more than happy to make ‘em for you. I got plenty of time to burn.”

“There’s no need. I figured you’d need a physical copy.” He said, fishing out a neatly folded square of paper and slid it over the counter. 

The machinist stared for a moment at the paper, but quickly took it and tucked it into his shirt pocket. “Anything else I could get you? Maybe a lighter? Then again, you’re already smoking.”

“No thank you, I don’t smoke.” He said. The man had a thoughtful expression on his face, then shrugged. “But I may look around for a bit more. Thank you Kai.”

He hoped the paler man didn’t see the clear flash of confusion wash over his face. Kai couldn’t tell if he was either just that oblivious or if he was messing with him. While the stranger busied himself with searching through the racks of tools, he unfolded the blueprints and set them on the counter. 

It was a perfect copy as the one on the screen, but with several smaller notes in different shades of ink. Kai tried to guess which were the cute guys, but gave up after he took a second look at the designs. Alot of the messages seemed to be snarky comments from other people. One of them was just _’Needs more spikes_ in thick purple blocking.

The largest sketch looked to be a set of hydraulics, but far more compact and with a much stronger output of force. There was a set of shock absorbers and suspension, an odd set of hinges and some weirdly shaped screws. Nya was the mechanic, but even he could see what a strange order this was. Kai’s train of thoughts stopped after that when he heard someone clear their throat. 

He looked up to find the stranger standing over him, different supplies and a few paints in his arms. He pulled a small billfold and set it down. “This should be enough to cover the cost for now. Is it?”

“Yea, yea that’s enough.” Kai said, quickly scanning the items. Surprisingly, the stranger brought the perfect amount of cash down to the tax. 

“Smart and cute.” He muttered under his breath again, deciding to let this one go for now. “Good luck on whatever your building.” 

“Thank you for this. Goodbye.” 

The mechanist wasn’t past sighing wistfully as he watched the prettyboy leave. Kai pulled out the sketch and turned it over, hoping to find some sort of clue. Nothing came out of that, it just looked like a sheet of paper torn from a larger roll. But he did see a few smudged oil stains in the bottom corner. 

After starting on some of the parts, he made a small pot of chili for a late lunch and brought a bowl to his sister. Kai could see Nya lying on one of the rolling board under a car brought in a few days before. “Hey sis, do you remember anything from those motorcycle guys who came in a week ago?”

“I don’t think so.” She said. “Pass me the torque wrench?” 

Kai kicked it under the car and heard it hit something. Though Nya managed to kick him in the shins as payback. He just laughed and set down the chili bowl. 

“Sorry, but I’ll keep an eye out for them while I’m out.” Nya grabbed the bowl, hasty rubbed the grease off her hands and practically drank his chili. “You ev’ber gonna l’rn to use less ‘pice?” 

He crossed his arms and leaned back against a workbench. “I thought you liked spice?”

“Yea, but I’d also like to keep my tastebuds.” She rolled her eyes, carrying her bowl as she made her way upstairs.

“At least Pixal will enjoy it!” He called. 

Nya screamed something incoherent as a response, Kai just grinned. Without much else to do - it’d take the printer a while to make the parts - he wandered back behind the counter and decided to check the security cameras Jay had set up for any clues. 

It was a simple rig; one in front of the shop, one near the back and one in the small garage where they stored vehicles overnight. Kai rewound the footage to the week before and found the day they’d come in. He wished he hadn’t been out getting groceries that afternoon, then he’d at least have a decept picture of the bikers. 

Through the grainy footage, Kai could see the gaudy colours most of the them wore. They were leaning against the garage doorframe, presumably Nya was there too. The quality of the footage was too poor to make out any distinct features, but one of the guys who left did have really light hair. 

He spent the rest of the afternoon helping out the few regulars who needed something and harassing his friends group chat with bad memes. At some point though, Kai brought up the bar fight last night with Cole in his private messages.

**Hot_DAMN:** Are you alright bro? For real, did anything happen to u last night

**rockyDangerBuff:** Dw. I’m fine. You dont have to wory 

**Hot_DAMN:** Ok then where did u go? Couldnt see you for like….. at least five mins. Jay and I were gettin worried.

**rockyDangerBuff:** Nothing. Promise. Just helped some guys get out of that mess. Gimmea sec to type it

**Hot_DAMN:** Ok?

It took Cole another five minutes for him to finally send the message. Kai read through it all thoroughly, but paid close attention to the descriptions he gave of ‘Snake Jaguar’ and ‘Mystery’. The white hair made warning bells ring in his head. 

**Hot_DAMN:** Okokok, as badass as this guys seems, wtf kinda name is Snake Jaguar? Almost as bad as yours

Cole just sent him a middle finger emoji after that. Kai just laughed.

**Hot_DAMN:** Glad youre ok thoigh. Seriously. Stay safe. 

Kai turned of his phone and stretched, breaking up the kinks in his back. It wasn’t too late, so he figured he’d just close up the store and make some tea. Maybe play some games if Jay was done studying. He made his way up and was in the middle of fishing out teabags when he heard heavy knocking on the door. 

At first, he thought it was Nya. But she would’ve called him anyways and he knew she wasn’t stupid enough to forget her keys. Warily, he drew the pocket knife hanging from his belt and made his way back down. 

“Damit, c’mon! Aren’t you open?” Someone was yelling outside. 

Kai glanced at the camera, then did a double take and dared to peek out the windows. White hair. Snake Jaguar had dismounted his bike and was practically hammering on the garage door. Kai was just going to ignore him. Then he saw how he held one hand to his face and small spots of deep red dripped down his leather vest and stained his white mask. 

He hesitated again for a moment, but his curiosity and worry for the other won him over. Kai ran to the garage, slammed down the button that lifted the door and ran to help pull the motorcycle in. Snake was already crawling under the folding metal. Kai grabbed the seat and made sure not to touch the running engine or scratch the paint on the concrete. 

Snake Jaguar caught himself on one of the workbenches. Now Kai could see the blood dripping past his teeth and onto the floor, glove smearing crimson onto the wood. He wanted to say something snarky, but concern outweighed him again. 

“Close the door.” Snake grit out. “Or else the little shits that chased me here are gonna be on you next.” 

Kai didn’t question it, quickly closing the doors again. He kept a tight grip on his knife as he made his way to the small first-aid kit on the back wall. 

“What the hell are you doing here again?” He asked, pulling out the supplies he needed. 

The biker wiped his hand on his face, leaving a bright streak of red across his cheek that emphasized the smug grin he wore. “Found some preppy private school teens harassing someone. Turns out they had a pretty good swing and their daddy’s paid for a fast ride. But hey, at least the kid got away.” 

“Wait, Darkleys?” Kai did a double take. “Did the kid have a bowl cut, blonde with green eyes?” 

“Yea.” Snake cocked an eyebrow. “He’s your little brother?”

He was about to go on a tangent about how dead those bullies were, but cut himself off. No need to tell that to a stranger. “Shut up already.” 

Kai gestured to a sink where the biker could wash off the rest of the blood. Snake planted himself on top of the benches and Kai glared at how he flaunted their differences in height. The damage didn’t look too bad, his bottom lip had a nasty split where his teeth had dug in and he pressed a strip of gauze there to stop the flow. 

“What’d you do with Cole?” Kai asked after a beat. 

“Though you didn’t want me to speak.” Snake replied. 

He stretched his arms back, the action pulling up the tight jacket and exposing his bare midriff. Kai knew, he _knew_ , that Snake was teasing him. But he still stared at the smooth muscles on display. Though Kai also caught sight of what looked like small, raised pockmarked scars that seemed to cover more than what was shown. 

Kai blinked hard and forced himself to glare at the cocky man. “Don’t try to distract me. You know what I’m talking about. Yesterday, he brought you backstage. What did you do?” 

“Jealous?” Snake Jaguar removed the gauze, pushed himself off the bench and began to stalk towards him. 

Kai didn’t let himself be intimidated and hurled his pocket knife. He didn’t aim for his head, but set it flying just across the bikers right bicep and into the drywall behind him. A thin seam of red marker the pale skin. 

Snake looked down to the mark. “You’re a little firecracker, aren’t you?” He said with a calm leer, looking more enticed rather than scared. 

Kai matched his stare as he stepped towards him, cursing the whole foot the other had on him. “That was a warning. Try any shit and I’ll show you what a firecracker can do.” 

The biker took another step forward, this time, Kai was forced to step back or else they’d be pressed chest to chest. Then his hand bumped against the door of the car Nya was working on.

He glanced down for a moment, when he looked up, Snake was leaning dangerously close to his face. One hand raised his chin, just shy of touching. He could still smell the sweat and blood on his skin. 

“Then consider it lucky I like being burned.”

Kai found himself quickly losing whatever bravado he had left. “I swear I‘ll make you see stars.” 

“Really?” Snake gave him a curious tilt. He could see the mischief practically glow behind those blue eyes. “I’d rather be the stars, so I could look down at you.” 

He found his throat quickly going dry. The bikers free arm moved to box the mechanist against the car. Kai watched with equal parts excitement and fear for his next move. His eyes still leered down at him, but Snake didn’t touch him, even if there were only breaths between them. 

Snake dropped the hand from his chin. “Do you want this to stop? They’re probably gone now.” He suddenly said. 

Kai blinked, but it did give him a moment to actually think. “You never did answer my question.” 

The paler man huffed out a soft laugh, his breath tickled Kai cheek. 

“I promise you. I wasn’t rough with Cole.” He said with sincerity. Then his voice dropped again. “With you on the other hand, I could make an exception.” 

Even after that bold claim, Snake didn’t reach for him. 

Kai wasn’t sure he could take more teasing. He grabbed the collar of his jacket and forced him down for a kiss. Kai could taste the copper on the others tongue, along with a touch of clean mint. One hand reached for the back of his neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss while the other held firm on his hip. 

He broke away panting while Snake just smirked. He lowered his head to his jaw and pressed more kisses down his cheek and jaw. Kai gasped when he felt the biker nip just below his ear. 

“Upstairs.” He managed to say. “Sis won’t be back for another hour.” 

“Good.” Snake purred against his ear. “She won’t be here to listen to you sing.”


	3. Guide

Jay alternated between picking loose strings on the cuffs of his hoodie, chewing on the paper rim of his cup and tapping out an uneven beat with his pencil. He looked over the small table and the growing pile of crumpled paper just off to the side. The freckled adult leaned back and rubbed the bridge of his eyes. 

“Why are you like this?” He asked himself. “Come on, what’s happening up there? Give me the ideas!” 

He twisted the eraser into his temples. Once again, Jay scratched out the design he’d just drawn a few minutes ago and aggressively stuffed everything into an already bloated binder. 

Throwing his scarf over his eyes, Jay considered just falling asleep right then. He’d do just about anything for a good idea by now. He wouldn’t not care if someone tried to slap him awake at this moment. Something bounced off his hair, Jay didn’t look up to see who. 

“Echo!” Someone berated. This time, he peeked out from under the orange fabric. 

Jay saw - sitting right in front of him - a pair of brothers. They shared a similar jawline and build, but one was much more tanned than the other, with copper red hair rather than platinum blonde. The older and lighter skinned of the two was quietly scolding the other while they just sipped their drink. 

“That was rude. You can see he’s had a rough morning.” He said. 

“ ‘sfine.” Jay slurred. “Maybe he’ll knock something loose up here and I’ll have something at least half baked.” 

What he could see of the other man’s face softened in sympathy. “Still, that was uncalled for. I’m Zane.” 

“Jay.” 

He finally decided to pull himself up properly to say hello. He felt his cheeks go warm immediately. Zane was dressed in a washed out jean jacket, snug pants and a pastel pink turtleneck with a matching beanie. He was cleaning a set of steel framed glasses that, once rested on his nose, made his shiny blue eyes pop like a clear morning. 

The rusty haired teen snickered in his drink. His dress was more or less in line with the rest of his pallet; a red hoodie with a steampunk print t-shirt and black jeans. 

Jay sunk into his scarf and broke eye contact. Zane shook his head. “I apologize on behalf of Echo, since I know he won’t.” 

“I-I mean it. It’s fine. I’m fine. Yea.” Jay quickly took a long sip from his lukewarm coffee. 

“Forgive me for eavesdropping, but you were having trouble with something?” Zane asked. 

Jay groaned. “It’s stupid. Just some project.” 

“Would you mind if I could see the criteria?”

“If I can find it before the place closes.” He shrugged. It took a moment, but Jay dug out the folded sheet from his bag. “We’re supposed to rig up a design that should theoretically pick up sounds from as many dimensions as possible. But apparently I can’t think today!”

Zane nodded, humming to himself as he read through the instructions. He tilted his head at every other paragraph, Jay caught himself staring again before his little brother could point it out. 

“You go to Borg University?” Zane asked.

“Yep and somehow I got all the late lectures.” Jay stretched. “Lucky me. But hey, I haven’t been mugged yet.” 

Zane frowned, but didn’t comment. He passed it back to Jay after a few minutes. “If you have nothing in particular in mind, could I suggest something?” 

“Knock yourself out.” He sighed. 

“How much do you know about owl anatomy?” 

Jay did a double take. “What? I know jack. Where is this going?” 

He caught Echo roll his eyes, but Zane grinned at him.

“Their hearing is known to be some of the best in the avian kingdoms.” He began. “The barn own in particular, the shape of their faces allow them to funnel sound and their ears are rather fascinating. They’re not symmetrical like most mammals, in fact, one is much higher than the other. They can even rotate their heads an entire one hundred and eighty degrees due to the special structure of their head and necks.” 

Zane stopped himself before he could go on another triad. Jay saw the faintest dusting of a blush across his cheeks. “Sorry. But my point is, if you could somehow design a system based on owl anatomy, it could be quite efficient.” 

“Wow.” Jay said. “Did think I'd ever meet someone who could talk more than me.” 

The blush was back. Zane hid it poorly behind one hand. “I apologize. It’s hard to find others with such a specific interest, let alone anyone willing to hear me ramble.” 

“Don’t apologize.” Jay shook his head, searching for his eyes. “I… I liked it. It was kinda cute. Really helped too. Thanks.” 

The blonde looked up with a mirrored, shy smile. “I’m just glad I could help.” 

Jay quickly scribbled down the ideas in a notes app and onto another loose leaf of paper. He passed the sketches back to Zane a few times, asking for more ideas. The other always had something to contribute, eager to share with the tired student. 

The auburn man was just glad Zane didn’t want him to shut up. 

“Okay, I think this should work.” Jay chewed the eraser. “Maybe if I could fit some way to move it up and down? No, that’d mess up the rotary system.” 

Zane reached up to pull his hand back from his mouth. “Don’t do that, you’ll hurt your teeth.” 

“Oh. Right, yea.” He said, trying hard not to think about how smooth his skin felt. “Anyways, you two new around here?” 

“Well, we have moved in recently.” Zane offered, tapping a finger against his cheek. “About a month or so, but it’s the first time we’ve gotten to actually explore the place.”

Jay’s eyes lit up as he began the story. “Then you probably didn’t hear about the bar fight a few weeks ago.” 

Zane cocked his head curiously. Echo - who’d been on his phone for most of their conversations - did perk up before looking down again. 

“Okay, alright. So me, Cole and Kai are just chilling. And I notice these bikes out front and I could just swear I saw them yesterday. And then Kai sees a bunch of guys in the back with knives and swords. Then out of nowhere one of them is flying across a table and knocking people out!” 

“Really?” Zane asked. 

“Yea! Dunno what happened next. But for some reason, Cole showed them some secret exit behind the stage. He said the guy who he showed it to called himself Snake Jaguar. Kai would totally roast me if he heard me say this, but that’s a pretty badass name.” 

The other man’s expression was amused, then somewhat concerned. “You weren’t hurt during all of that, were you?” 

“Nah, I was just hiding in Kai’s shirt the whole time anyways.” He shrugged. “Pretty sure my mom would’ve killed whoever tried to throw the first swing.” 

“She sounds… protective.” Zane mused. 

”Yea, she’s practically adopted Kai and Cole. It’s a running joke that since I’m the only one with both parents, the others get to share.” 

Jay didn’t think through that joke until he saw Zane straighten up. “Oh. Jay, I’m so sorry.” 

“I - god, did you really need to tell him that.” Jay dragged his hand down his face. “No, I’m sorry. I mean, I’m adopted anyways so it doesn’t even count… shit.” 

He wanted to slap himself right there. Zane’s expresion didn’t change and remained a thoughtful, almost serene calm. Even Echo put away his phone, glancing up at his older brother with a much more pensive face.

Then, Zane reached for his hand across the table. He smoothed a thumb over the back of his palm and gave a loose squeeze. Looking up to his eyes, they were filled with an uncanny understanding. 

“Jay, just because you’re family is not connected through blood doesn’t make it any less than if it were.” Zane stated. “I do not like to make assumptions, but I have faith that your parents love you.” 

He didn’t really know what to say to that. The hand against his was smooth, soft and cool. Jay didn’t try to hide his blushing this time. 

“Thanks.” He mumbled. “If you get any sweeter than this I’ll get cavities.” 

Echo snapped his fingers to emphasize his statement. “Least we agree on that.” 

The attention from his younger brother made Zane’s blush grow brighter. He pulled his hand back and Jay quietly mourned the loss. 

Zane did lean forward. “You can’t blame me entirely for that, sugar.” 

Jay snorted and broke out in a short fit of giggles. “God, you and Kai should never meet.” 

He swore that his blush just grew even brighter at that. 

They spelt some more time together, just talking about whatever came to mind. Echo brought up comics and Jay got into a heated debate with the teen over whether or not the original Fritz Donnagan was better or worse than the modern reboots.

Zane couldn’t contribute as much, but laughed as the two traded quips and sarcastic remarks. Jay could feel the warmth in his cheeks lessen, but every time he glanced back at the others smile, it returned full force. 

Sooner than he’d hoped, Jay found he had about an hour left before his next lecture. He carefully folded all the new sketches into his binder - organized now thanks to Zane’s incistance - and packed his bags. 

“It’s been a pleasure meeting you Jay.” Zane smiled. “I’m sure we’ll meet soon.” 

He just shrugged, looking up at him sheepishly. “Pretty sure I was the lucky one here.” 

Jay rocked back on his heels for a moment, before deciding to just go for it. He pulled the taller man in for a hug and to his surprise, he reciprocated. Longer arms wrapped over his shoulder and bag, holding for a moment before releasing. It felt nice, pressed against the other’s chest. But Jay just tried not to think too hard about that. 

He waved goodbye to the twins, then just as they turned the corner, Jay actually slapped himself. “Damit! Why didn’t you ask for a number?” 

That soured the moment, but he had the strange impression that he’d come across the sweet stranger again. He made his way to the counter to pay for his drink. 

“Oh, your bill was already paid for.” The cashier told him. 

Jay blinked, but didn’t ask who. He glanced back out to the empty street with a wistful smile. 

**::::**

He gave a bone popping yawn, rubbing at his eyes for the upmteenth time. Jay hiked up his bag and let his mind wander as his feet took him down the sidewalk on autopilot. The streetlights and sparse stars guided him down towards the small apartment complex his family called home. 

His mind kept circling back to everything he and Zane talked about. Animals, space, knitting, cooking and even some mechanics. It was all a happy haze in his memory, a bright spot in the somewhat underwhelming day. 

Passing alleys and waiting at streetlights, Jay made sure to keep his steps brisk and resisted the ever-present temptation to put in earbuds. He walked past a dumpster he thought someone was crouched behind, but didn’t stay long enough to find out. 

Leaning against a storefront, Jay quickly called his mom to tell her he was coming. He smirked at the picture of the upturned Roomba with it’s battery and motor strewn around the kitchen table. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw something shifting down the block. 

He quickly pocketed his phone and kept walking. The next crosswalk was up ahead, but the light had just turned red. Jay dared for look over his shoulder and muffled a curse with his scarf. Two men, wearing the red and white patterns he’d learned to avoid, were walking up behind him. 

Jay straightened his back and pressed the button to change the light again. He stamped down the urge to fidget or look back again. Down the street, he heard the low rumble of motorcycles. The auburn man went stiff. 

At least half a dozen of the Sons of Garmadon pulled up to the same streetlight. One of them tilted his head at Jay. “You lost, bluebird?” 

“No.” Jay said, perhaps a bit too snappy. He looked over the leather vest the man wore. “Just didn’t expect to find a Snake in the city.” 

“Ha!” The same woman dressed in purple - who he could see had at least two knives on her belt - grinned at them both. “Looks like you’ve got another admirer Jaguar!” 

The others laughed, Jay wanted to kick their stupid bikes over. Snake Jaguar removed his helmet, pushing back sweat slicked white hair. The fluorescent light cast a winter-coloured filter over his form. If Jay squinted, he could see what looked like tattoos glowing and curling over his right eye.

“I promise I don’t bite.” He shrugged. “C’mon, can you say no to a free ride?” 

Jay couldn’t and he was prepared to say no just out of spite. But then Snake gestured back - for only a moment - to where Jay knew the two men were. As much as he hated it, he nodded. 

“Sure.” He said. 

The other bikers whistled as Snake Jaguar made room for him on the back seat. Jay looked for some way to keep his balance without wrapping his arms around the others waist, but found nothing. With an audible huff, he pressed himself against the others' back. 

Before he slipped his helmet back on, Snake whispered briskly into his ear. “Where should I drop you off, so they won’t know where you live.” 

He ignored the pleasant warmth against his front. But he was glad that his intentions were pure. “Cafe on Marco Drive.”

“You really are pickin’ trash off the streets.” The two men stared glared at the biker gang. “And here I thought the Sons had fallen as low as it could get.” 

The light flashed green. The woman flipped them both birds and cackled. “Go slither back to mama you scaly fucks!” 

“Why you-“ 

They were gone from the intersection before Jay could hear the rest. The suddenly jolt of movement nearly threw him off and he had to keep an even tighter grip on the biker. He could feel the vibrations of Snake’s laughter. 

“Nice one Ultra!” He yelled over the wind, the woman still laughing maniacally. 

Jay just held on as the winds battered his scarf. After the first tense minutes, he had enough courage to raise his head. The stars above turned into blurry streaks of light, the smell and taste of fresh air filled his breath. He found himself leaning his cheek between Snake’s shoulder plates. 

The biker nudged him up. “Don’t fall asleep on me, bluebird. You’re almost at your nest.” 

“Shut up.” Jay groaned, wishing he had some coffee. 

Snake eventually split off from the rest of the group, thankfully slowing down as he drove down the now quiet side street. Jay looked to the table where he’d met Zane just this afternoon. He dismounted and gave another long yawn. 

“Y’know, you’re not so bad.” Jay mused. “Anyone who can stand up to the Serpentine is pretty cool.” 

“Bastards deserved a knife to their kneecaps.” Snake added, stepping off to stretch. Jay tried not to let the biker catch him staring. “You always wander alone at night?” 

“Not like I can call an Uber whenever I want, I’m not rich.” He shrugged. 

Snake gave him an oddly soft expression. “Still, you should carry a blade or at least some pepper spray.” 

“I don’t have anything worth stealing either.” Jay added. “Not much of anything really.” 

He looked up the street, the apartment was only a few minutes away. He heard Snake stepping towards him, but didn’t register it until he was suddenly pulled forward. Jay raised an arm to shove himself back or punch his ribs, then he realized the biker was only hugging him. 

He had one arm wrapped across his shoulders, the other straight at his side. Jay had enough time to think how comfortable he was before Snake pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead. 

“Everyone is valuable.” He whispered into curly hair. “Do not forget that.” 

Jay had to wait a long beat before he could give a proper response. “Y-yea. Got it.” He could sense the other man grinning over him as he unwound his arm and mounted his bike. 

“Sweet dreams, bluebird.” He saluted, blowing one last kiss to the flustered boy before speeding back out onto the main road. 

The freckled man listened as the sound of the motor died off in the distance. He hoped that his face would return to a normal hue before he got home, or else his parents wouldn’t even let it go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope the whiplash doesn’t hurt to hard.
> 
> And now, we come full circle.


	4. Friend(?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To quote my notes; 
> 
> **_Like many things, this somehow became turtle mc furducking polyninja_ **

Cole leaned against the glass bus stop, glancing at his phone periodically. He looked down the street to where he knew Jay’s apartment was. After a few minutes, Cole could see the flapping orange scarf in the wind. He met the shorter adult halfway, greeting him with a handshake and hug. 

“Hey, how’d your project turn out?” He asked as they sat inside the bus stop. 

“Oh god, where do you want me to start?” Jay grinned. 

Cole shrugged. “As long as you finish before nightfall, I won’t complain.”

He received a shove to his shoulder that really didn't throw him off. “Asshole.” The red-head muttered. 

“But really, what happened?” Cole wondered. “You were screaming in the chat past three am about that thing the day before yesterday.” 

“Okay, okay, so while I was at the cafe, I was about to give up and just cannibalize some speakers.” He narrated. “Then out of nowhere, this gorgeous snow angel comes up and offers to help. He was - wow. His name was Zane and god, he’s too cute it’s stupid. Pretty eyes, pretty face, pretty smart too. He knew pretty much anything I asked about, the guy’s like an encyclopedia!” 

“Easy on the gushing, Romeo.” Cole teased. “You’re making me jealous. Did you at least ask for his number?” 

Jay groaned dramatically. “No! I have to be the stupidest person alive not to ask for such a perfect guys number.” 

He couldn’t hide his grin, but let the smaller man scream into his shoulder. “Hey, that makes two of us.” 

“What?” Jay perked up. 

“Oh right, I didn’t tell you guys.” Cole said. “It was the morning before that fight. Y’know, when I said I wanted to ‘just get out of the house and chill’.” 

The freckled adult took a moment to realize what he was implying. “Oh. Shit. I’m so sorry, I should’ve known that day - I’m sorry man.” 

“It’s alright now.” He shrugged. “Got to meet a cute guy, offered me some good advice too.” 

Jay’s cheeky expression was back. “Oh? What’d he look like? And no skimming over the details!” 

Cole hid his embarrassment by coughing into his hand. “He was just really nice. A little weird, but nice. Sweet blue eyes, calm voice. Looked really cute in pastels.” 

“Blue eyes.” Jay mused. “Huh, go figure. My guy had blue eyes too. Really real blue, like - if you could only ever have one shade of blue in the world, then that’d be the colour I’d choose.” 

“Sure you aren’t biased on that front?” Cole joked. But in the back of his head, cogs began to tick away. He glanced at his phone. “Shouldn’t Kai be here by now?” 

“He’s probably touching up his mascara or something.” Jay rolled his eyes. “Maybe if we wait here long enough, that Snake Jaguar guy might pick us up.” 

The taller man did a double take. “What do you mean again? And how do you know his name?” 

A loud honk disturned their conversation. Kai pulled up the driveway, pushing the passenger seat door out. “Sorry, sorry. Just closed up shop. What’s up?”

“Eh, just gossip.” Jay shrugged, deflecting Cole’s question. “I’m pretty sure we've both got a thing for guys with blue eyes.” 

Kai grinned impishly, adjusting his mirror. He had one hand on the wheel while the other dangled through the open window, freeing them from the scent of stale air freshener and motor oil. 

“Really?” He asked. “Well too bad for you guys, I found a blue eyed babe and I already called dibs.” 

“You can’t call dibs on a person!” Jay argued. 

“Who says I can’t?” 

“Jay, wait.” Cole pinched the bridge of his nose. “Wait. What did you say about Snake Jaguar? I didn’t tell you his name.” 

The freckled man blushed, turning to stare out the window. “He… offered me a ride back home a few days ago. But I’m pretty sure I was about to get mugged so, eh, wasn’t so bad.” 

Kai screeched to a stop - thankfully the light was red - and turned from his seat. “What! Who tried to mug you? I knew we couldn’t trust those biking shits. I swear to god - “ 

“Calm down. It wasn’t him.” Jay dismissed. “It was one of the local gangs. The - the red ones I think. Fang - something. Snake just gave me a ride back. He didn’t try anything. I promise.” 

The scared man was pulled from his interrogation when the car behind them started honking. Cole set a hand on the other’s shoulder. “Are you really okay, really?”

“Yes dad.” Jay remarked with a small smile. 

They traded lighter stories about their week until they pulled up to the bar proper. Just through the blinds, Cole could see the mess of lights, sound and bodies inside. He stepped up to the bouncer, who let him and the others in without much question. Jay pointed up at the new lighting systems Dareth had installed for the rave, rattling off about special blacklights and other fancy terminology. 

The performer led them to one of the corner booths he’d rented from the barkeep preemptively. None of them really mentioned getting up and dancing when they talked about coming, so Cole figured having a comfy lounge couch to relax would be the next best thing.

“Alright mouth of lightning. No need for the technobabble.” Cole said. 

He only pouted and crossed his arms on the circular table. Kai reached over to ruffle his already messy curls. “Don’t worry, we still think you're an adorable lighting bug.” 

Jay swiped at his arm, but Kai was already pulling away. “Shut up.” He muttered. Then his gaze shifted over the dance floor. “Hey, do you guys see any of the Sons here?” 

Cole and Kai looked around them. With all the flashing lights, it made it difficult to discern anything or anyone. Then the spiky brunette tapped Cole on the shoulder, gesturing to the bar. Jay turned when directed and all three starred. 

Snake Jaguar was there, staring right back at them. His face propped up in one hand, his other hand hanging to the side. Black lights overhead tinted his entire body in deep indigo light, making his hair even more striking. 

He had his mask pulled down, showing off his leering grin. But it was his eyes that once again surprised them. Circling the left side of his face was a pattern of bright blue snowflakes. They curled across most of his cheek and disappeared down his neck and chest. 

The biker nodded in their direction, stalking over with a set of drinks in his hands. Stealing the one vacant seat, he looked to the stunned adults with a curious tilt. 

“Surprised?” He asked. 

At that moment, Cole, Kai and Jay were all incredibly thankful for the dark lighting. Otherwise they’re prominent blushing would be exposed to the others at the table. Cole was the first to find his voice, coughing into his hand again. 

“Hey Snake.” He started. “Yea, well, didn’t expect to see you again. Not after last time.” 

The man shrugged, stretching for a long minute before saying back against the table. “I keep my promises.” 

“Wait, did you know we’d be here?” Kai suddenly asked. “Are you stalking us or something?” 

Snake’s eyebrows actually arched up in surprise. “I haven’t.” He said sincerely. “Really, it’s all been a combination of good timing and lucky coincidence. I’m a bit hurt to be truthful, I thought you’d be happy to see me.” 

Kai looked away after that. Jay was about to ask why, but he had other things he wanted to say. “Okay. Then why are you here?” 

He gestured with a gloved hand to the array of shots on the table. “To buy you a drink. I figured I’ve teased you all enough.” 

Cole frowned at that statement. “No offence, but I’m still a little suspicious. What do you really want?” 

“I’d just like to know you all better.” Snake told them. “Formally, at least.” 

He took one of the glasses and tipped it back, swallowing it all in one go and whipping his chin. “There’s nothing in them and nobody else from the Son’s came with me.” 

Cole still eyed the glasses with suspicion. He glanced to the others. Kai gave a quiet nod and Jay wasn’t fidgeting with his scarf. He reached for one of the glasses, sniffing at the drink before taking a small sip. 

It tasted surprisingly crisp and tangy, like chilled apple cider. The others took a glass when Cole didn’t say anything was wrong. Snake traced the rim of his glass, plucking out the ice cube in his and holding it between his fingers. 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to play a game.” He asked. 

“Sure Jigsaw.” Kai muttered. Cole slapped his shoulder. 

“Alright, what kinda game?” Jay wondered, taking small sips from his drink and ignoring the two.

“Two truths and a lie.” Snake said. “You may go first. However, if I guess your lie, I get a kiss. If I can’t, then you’re free to ask me any question you want.” 

The brazen request made all of them hesitate. Kai rubbed at his neck subconsciously. “I mean… do you guys - “

“I am dying to get to know more about him.” Jay muttered into his scarf.

Cole looked down to his drink, sighed, then swiftly drank the remainder. He turned back to the biker. Snake was watching the rivulets of melt water drip down his gloves. He took the ice cube between his teeth, then bit down hard. It cracked and the biker licked at the broken remains. 

He met Cole’s stare, then smirked. The glow from the snowflakes shining brighter from a thin sheen of sweat. “Well?” 

“I’m in.” He said. “I guess we all are.” 

Kai and Jay nodded in unison. Snake’s gaze shifted between the trio. “Who’d like to go first?” 

Jay swallowed, but cautiously raised a hand. “I - I’ll go.” 

“You sure?” Kai asked. 

“Yea. Yea this’ll be fine. Not like he’s the hottest guy we’ve ever met.”

“Hey! What about me?” 

The biker pushed aside his drink, crossing his arms on the table and leaning forward. Jay met his stare, quickly trying to mentally rack up some good facts about himself. 

“My parents and I lived in a junkyard when I was a kid. I like a lot of new comic reboots and I made a sound system based on a bluejay.” 

“Wow, specific much?” Kai joked. “You must really wanna be the top for once.” 

Jay hid in his scarf and waved his glass wildly at him. “Oh my god, I will break this over your head and feed you the pieces.” 

“I’d rather you not ruin his pretty face.” Snake commented. “As for your lie, I will say you haven’t made it easy for me.” 

He tapped at his chin. Jay waited anxiously and he could see the thin smirk the biker wore. “Quit stalling.” He snapped. “I thought you said you weren't gonna tease us anymore.” 

“Alright.” Snake laughed. “Fine. I don’t think you made a speaker system based on a bluejay.” 

Jay’s bravado quickly evaporated. Both Kai & Cole shared mixed expressions of surprise, glee and embarrassment. “Yea.” Kai spoke up before Jay could deny it. “Yea, you got the lie.” 

The biker stood from his seat, easily stepping past Kai to sit beside the freckled adult. Cole coughed and turned away. Kai pulled out his phone. 

“Then would you like the kiss now?” Snake asked. 

Jay slowly pulled himself out of his scarf. “I hate all of you so much right now.” 

He tipped his head upward. Part of his wondered if Snake would take this inch and go a mile. Jay relaxed and closed his eyes. Then he felt cool fingers brush back the hair on his scalp. Soft lips pressed against his forehead, lingered, then left in less than a moment. 

The freckled male blinked. Snake Jaguar was still looming over him, he could see the fine details of the snowflakes tattooed into his skin. He realized they weren’t all one shade of blue, some faded to darker hues at the edges. Jay heard himself sigh wistfully. The taller man made an amused sound. 

“That's enough for you, bluebird?” He asked, now back to his lounging posture. 

“Yea.” Jay slapped the spiky haired brunette. “Hey Kai, don’t keep him waiting.”

“Huh. Oh.” He quickly swapped seats with the other. “That was fast.” 

Snake’s grin turned predatory. “I assume you’d rather have the opposite?” 

Kai flushed hard. “I - I don’t wanna make the others feel awkward.” 

Jay had pulled up his scarf again and Cole had his headphones in. Though the mechanist swore he could see Jay glancing up sparingly. He even swore Cole was watching. At him or at Snake, he couldn’t tell. Now he could feel the blush working it’s way up his ears. 

“Okay, uh. I have a younger brother. I love spicy food and my room is painted black.” Kai offered. 

“I would like to say your love of spice is a lie. Or that your room isn’t such a simple colour.” Snake wondered. He leaned into the man’s ear. Kai could feel him smirk. “But we both know the answer to that. You don’t have a little brother.” 

Kai huffed out a sigh. “Damit.” 

The biker’s smirk grew wider and he had only a moment to think before he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt. Kai pulled the taller man down, pressing himself flush and moaning as deft fingers rubbed circles on his hips. Cole glanced up to Jay, who kept his scarf pulled high up his face. The tallest adult peeked over at Kai and Snake, the latter now pinning the other against the couch. 

The shorter man pulled back, breathless and panting against Snake’s shoulder. Smooth fingers brushed against his cheek and carefully held his chin. Kai realized he’d removed his gloves. 

“Was that too much?” He asked quietly. “I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable.” 

“You’re really asking that now?” Kai questioned loudly. 

“In hindsight, I should have asked you all sooner.” The biker pulled himself off and looked to Cole. The smirk and brazen expression was gone, replaced with the same uncanny concern. “If you want, you can say no.” 

The musician's son thought about that statement. Kai had unzipped his jacket, letting it fall loose off his shoulders and Cole caught himself staring a moment longer than he expected. Jay still looked flustered, even from the extremely chaste kiss he received. His throat suddenly felt very dry. 

“Alright.” Cole answered. “Just don’t chicken out if I still want that kiss. My dad’s a performer, I worked at a different tavern before this one and - “

He thought over his last statement, mulling over all the details that felt too specific to be a coincidence. Staring back at Snake Jaguar, he tried to overlay the sweet faced, pastel boy they’d all described with this confident and devil-may-care biker. It seemed like too much of a disconnect. 

There was still so much worry in his beautiful blue eyes. That look felt too familiar.

“And I think I met you at the library, the morning before the bar fight.” 

If the biker was surprised, he hid it well. Both Kai and Jay were now leaning forward on the table, waiting with baited breath to hear his answer. 

“If you yourself don’t know a truth, then does it count as a truth at all?” Snake asked after a prominent pause. 

“Guess that’s up to you to decide.” 

The pale adult dragged a hand through his hair, brushing limp strands away from his eyes. “Alright, I don’t think your father is a performer.” 

“Ha!” Jay cried, reaching over to give Kai a high-five. “Got him! Ask him what his name is Cole!” 

Snake looked to the sudden outburst. Oddly, Cole could see Snake hiding a smile behind his hands. Not the low-lidded smirk he usually wore. His lips tilted up subtly and his eyes shone with a soft glow from more than just the tattoo. 

He gestured for Cole to go ahead and ask. The man decided he may as well toss all his dice on the table. 

“Is your real name Zane?”

“Yes.”

Jay’s jaw dropped. Kai’s eyes went wide. He made subconscious pointing gesture between the freckled adult, Cole, himself, the biker in several different patterns. Jay opened and closed his mouth over a dozen times before finally finding his voice. 

“What!” He screamed. 

“Please, keep your voice low.” Zane warned. “I’d rather not draw attention.” 

Cole was still having trouble with really processing the bikers statement. With the confirmation, it made the two visions he had match closer, but there were still too many questions spinning around his head. 

“You - wait, hold on. Were you messing with us this whole time?” Jay waved to the group frantically. “Why did you even - does that mean Echo - what is going on? Kai? What is happening?”

Kai had stopped his gesturing. Cole watched as Zanes' smile returned to a smirk for just a moment. “If you’d like, I could start from the beginning.” Zane offered. 

“Please do.” Kai fell back on his seat, eye’s still blown wide with shock. 

Zane traced an invisible pattern on the table. Cole could see the nervous smile still tugged at his lips. He realized that he was a bit jealous that Kai and Jay got kisses and he didn’t. He stopped himself from coughing. 

“The Sons of Garmadon found me just after my father died. They took me in and I helped repair their bikes. I know that before, they were much more violent. Something changed in the hierarchy. Now they are good people, in their own way. Most of them are orphans or drifters like myself. We supported ourselves mostly through underground racing competitions, nothing that harmed others outside the Sons.” 

Kai thought back to the bikes he and Nya had repaired. Now all the grievous scratches across the metal made sense. Jay recalled struggling to sleep due to the loud sounds of motors just outside his window. 

Cole was fixated on Zane’s first sentence. “I’m so sorry,” he said, reaching to give him a loose, one armed hug, “does it still… kinda hurt?”

“A bit. I try to talk to others about it.” Zane answered, giving the larger hand a comforting squeeze. 

“I didn’t really plan on creating this persona.” He continued. “But when it came to interacting with people outside the Sons, I found it… difficult. I never really knew what to say to people. Perhaps I’ve said things you’ve found odd, or made a joke I didn’t understand immediately.”

“So you weren’t just being a little shit?” Kai snipped. Jay and Cole shared confused glances.

“No,” Zane shrugged, “I think one of my friends put it best. I have enough self awareness to realize when I am being a dumbass, but not enough to know if others think I look like a dumbass.” 

Jay snorted into his scarf. Cole found himself grinning at the crass metaphors. “Okay. Then why go by Snake Jaguar?” He asked. 

Zane stopped tracing patterns, now folding his hands in his lap and his lips pressed in a thin, contemplative line. It was an odd posture, something that reminded them of a more soft spoken man. “Mostly it’s because of security. You already know there are people who do not ‘approve’ of the Sons. I know the Serpentine families still have some old rivalries with us. I still wished to live with relative safely, so Snake Jaguar became a sort of net.” 

“Though in time, I realized that as Snake, others began to comment on changes in my personality. You’ve certainly seen them. I believe it may be due to the anonymity I experience as Snake. But I did enjoy it, being able to be more confident, say what I wished and express what I wanted to without the fear of being shunned.” 

Cole’s heart tugged in sympathy. “Okay. But then why’d you decided to tell us this? Why trust us?”

The shy smile was back, along with a pale pink blush over his cheeks. “Because I admit, I’ve grown to admire you all. I think you’re all very sweet to be around. I like how protective you are. I enjoy listening to Jay and I admire Kai’s attitude. Telling you who I am is my attempt to begin a more formal relationship with you.” 

Jay chewed at the inside of his cheek. “So… do you wanna be friends then?” 

“Perhaps.” Zane said. “I know that this isn’t the most conventional start to any relationship and I hope you could forgive me for any uncomfortable things I’ve said or done.” 

Kai blew out a sigh into his hands. “God, if you keep swinging back between sweet and spicy you’re gonna give me a heart attack.” 

Zane tilted his head. Jay made a small ‘aww’ sound he thought nobody else would hear. “I’m… sorry?” 

“Don’t be.” Cole smiled. “Charmander here outta be knocked down some pegs.” 

He sat up and pointed at the taller man with mock seriousness. “That’s Charm-mander to you.” 

“In your dreams.” Jay rolled his eyes. “Says the guy whose ex got stolen by his sister.” 

“Don’t make me come over there.” 

Zane laughed, a short, lighthearted hiccuping sound. “I - sorry. But this is why I find you all so endearing.” 

All three were broken from their playful argument, returning to their embarrassed and flustered expressions. “Thanks.” Cole said. “I - thanks.” 

“Perhaps I could ask you all for a dance?” Zane offered, leaving his seat at the table and holding out a hand. “May I have your numbers too, so we could set something up later.” 

“Oh, yea, yea!” Jay exclaimed with a bright smile. “God, can’t believe we didn’t even ask for it the first time.” 

They traded numbers, Cole even invited him to their group chat. Zane looked down at his phone with that same content smile. He tucked it away and offered his hand again. “Oh, would you rather we just stay and continue talking?” 

They looked to one another. Each of them could tell the other was blushing. A tangled knot of emotion pulled at them in all sorts of new, strange directions. 

“No.” They ended up saying in sync.

“I mean - “ Kai stuttered. 

“How is this even gonna work?” Jay questioned.

“Yes.” Cole said firmly. “I think we’d like a dance.”


End file.
